PROVIDENCE, RI – Skills for Rhode Island’s Future (SkillsRI) announced today that Johnson & Wales University (JWU) will provide up to 300 Rhode Island high school students with renewable scholarships of $2,000 per year to attend JWU upon successful completion of the state’s PrepareRI Internship program this summer.

The PrepareRI Internship Program, which is operated by SkillsRI, provides paid summer internships for 300 current high school juniors attending Rhode Island public schools, matching students to meaningful work-based learning opportunities with employers throughout the state. PrepareRI provides students with an opportunity to learn about workplace behaviors and expectations, explore various careers, begin to develop a professional network and plan their future education and career pathways.

The addition of Johnson & Wales University as a partner in this initiative will give students an even greater advantage by improving access to high quality academic and career opportunities. Not only will Johnson & Wales be hosting interns this summer, but every student who successfully completes the PrepareRI Summer Internship, at any location, will be eligible to receive the scholarships from the University. The student must apply to JWU for admission and the scholarship by November 1st of their senior year of high school, and must register as a full time student in order to be eligible. A link to scholarship will be listed on both the Johnson & Wales University website as well as Skills for Rhode Island’s Future. 

“When I told the leadership at Johnson & Wales that these kids needed money to attend college – that scholarships help level the playing field, they didn’t even hesitate to get on board”, said Nina Pande, Executive Director at SkillsRI. She continued, “We are so grateful to JWU for working with us to address issues of affordability and access so that all of our PrepareRI graduates can benefit from a higher education”. Skills for Rhode Island’s Future is a nonprofit organization that breaks down barriers to economic opportunity by connecting unemployed and underemployed Rhode Islanders to jobs with socially responsible, civic-minded employers. Through its vast network of employers,  community-based organizations, industry associations and educational institutions, SkillsRI has placed more than 1,200 unemployed/underemployed Rhode Islanders into jobs and job training program and has provided career enhancement services for approximately 5,000 community members. For more information please visit our website www.skillsforri.com.

PROVIDENCE, RI – Skills for Rhode Island’s Future (SkillsRI) will kick-off its second annual PrepareRI bootcamp training program on Monday, June 24, 2019 at Rhode Island College. More than 300 rising high school seniors will participate in this week-long, 40-hour training to learn about workforce behaviors and expectations, explore careers, begin to develop a professional network and plan future education and career pathways. Following the training, the students will begin 6-week paid internships with employers throughout the state across a range of industries and professions. 

The PrepareRI Internship Program, which is operated by SkillsRI, is funded by the RI Governor’s Workforce Board and matches students to meaningful work-based learning opportunities so they can have a competitive advantage when applying for college-level internships and/or full-time jobs. Internships at this age can have a huge impact on future successes and can pave the way to a productive career. It also helps build a pipeline of talent to meet the future workforce demands of local employers.

This year, every student who completes the PrepareRI bootcamp and internship will receive 4 college credits as well as provisional acceptance into Rhode Island College. Johnson & Wales University (JWU) has also agreed to provide the students with renewable scholarships of $2,000 per year based upon successful completion of the state’s PrepareRI Internship program. To be eligible students must apply to JWU for admission and the scholarship by November 1^st of their senior year of high school and be registered as a full-time student.

“It is wonderful that our state’s institutions of higher learning are partnering with us to address issues of access and affordability so that all of our PrepareRI graduates can benefit from a higher education”, said Nina Pande, Executive Director at SkillsRI.   Skills for Rhode Island’s Future is a nonprofit organization that breaks down barriers to economic opportunity by connecting unemployed and underemployed Rhode Islanders to jobs with socially responsible, civic-minded employers. Through its vast network of employers,  community-based organizations, industry associations and educational institutions, SkillsRI has placed more than 1,200 unemployed/underemployed Rhode Islanders into jobs and job training program and has provided career enhancement services for approximately 5,000 community members. For more information please visit www.skillsforri.com.